LAUSD parents call for changes to school playgrounds amid scorching temperatures
With little shade and asphalt reaching 150 degrees, parents are urging the Los Angeles Unified School District to make changes to schoolyards and ensure they don't turn into "heat islands."
"We are starting in August now. It's the hottest time of the year and our playground is asphalt," said LAUSD mom Cecile Michaelis.
The hot playgrounds and campuses are forcing students to be indoors to avoid suffering from heat illnesses. The mere potential of their children getting sick from playing in the heat concerns parents like Connor Clayton.
"The kids come home from school completely beat red, dehydrated, hot and sweaty," Clayton, whose two girls attend Shirley Avenue Elementary School.
In response, an LAUSD spokesperson said the district has tried to remedy the heat with air-conditioned areas and by limiting students' time in high-heat areas.
"When temperatures are high, our school provides air-conditioned bungalows for students during recess and lunch," the spokesperson said. We also have several trees that provide shade in our courtyard and we proactively limit student access to areas that may experience high heat, including select playground equipment."
The issue struck a chord with Aleigh Lewis who began to cry as she thought about her children playing in the hot schoolyards of Mount Washington Elementary.
"While the school is surrounded by trees, there are barely any trees on actual playgrounds," said Lewis, who runs an advocacy group called Angelenos for Green Schools.
Lewis' organization advocates for a greener schoolyard, claiming it will benefit kids physically, mentally and academically.
"LAUSD is one of the largest landowners in the city, owning 6,400 acres of schoolyards. These schoolyards that are covered in asphalt are some of the hottest places in every single neighborhood," she said.
The district said that it does plan to transform a number of campuses similar to what it did at the Marina Early Education Center in March.
However, parents are calling for an immediate solution.
"The quickest option, if you can't wait for trees to grow, is to just put shade structures," said Clayton. "We need to get shade structures."
LAUSD said it welcomed contributions but ultimately it is up to individual schools to accept donations from the community.
